- The Colts waived defensive back D’Joun Smith with an injury designation, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Smith was a third-round pick in 2015.
- The Colts had one open roster spot, and they’ve filled by signing safety Alden Darby, per a team announcement.
The Colts announced that they’ve trimmed their roster to 74 players, one below the league-mandated maximum. Indy could potentially add another player between now and Saturday, if it so chooses.
Waived:
- LB Anthony Sarao
- CB Darius White
Placed on injured reserve:
The Colts have released four players as they continue to trim their way down to a 75-man roster. On Monday morning, the Colts announced that they have released tight end Konrad Reuland while waiving wide receiver Daniel Anthrop, tackle Keith Lumpkin, and running back Trey Williams. 
Reuland was at the bottom of the Colts’ tight end depth chart with Dwayne Allen, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope, and Darion Griswold all ahead of him. The well-traveled 29-year-old appeared in 26 games for the Jets between 2012 and 2013 and also appeared in four games for the Ravens last season.
The Colts’ roster now stands at 77 thanks to the wave of cuts made over the weekend. They must drop two more players between now and the 75-man deadline.
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The Colts announced that they’ve moved a bit closer to the 75-man deadline, as they’ve cut 10 players today. Indianapolis will still need to release/waive six more players before 3pm CT Tuesday.
[RELATED: Colts Sign Stevan Ridley]
The Colts have cut the following players:
- Justin Berger, WR
- Alden Darby, S
- Eric Herman, G
- Ricky Lumpkin, DL
- Mike Miller, TE
- Chase Price, RB
- Winston Rose, CB
- Delvon Simmons, DE
- Josh Stangby, WR
- Junior Sylvestre, LB
Lumpkin, 28 next week, is the only member of this group with any NFL experience. In three season, he’s appeared in seven games with the Cardinals and Raiders, though he was out of the league in 2015.
2:04pm: Great news for the Colts, as owner Jim Irsay tweets that Mewhort will only be sidelined for two-to-four weeks, and will not require surgery, according to initial test results.
9:58am: Colts left guard Jack Mewhort is believed to have suffered a torn ACL during Saturday night’s preseason contest against Philadelphia, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star tweets that Mewhort will have an MRI today to confirm. If it is, in fact, a torn ACL, Mewhort’s season would likely be over.
This comes as a crushing blow to an offensive line that was already a major cause of concern, especially since Mewhort was the most reliable member of that unit. The third-year pro started all 16 games for the Colts last season, grading out as the ninth-best guard in the league out of 81 eligible players, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Even head coach Chuck Pagano was at a loss for words Saturday, as Holder observed that Pagano “looked like he [had] seen a ghost”during last night’s press conference and admitted that he did not have a “clear picture” of his team because of the rampant injuries it has faced (Twitter links). Mewhort joins Vontae Davis, Kendall Langford, Clayton Geathers, and Henry Anderson as players who, at the very least, may not be ready for the start of the regular season. Pagano could not give a definite answer on when his injured players will return to the practice field full-time.
ESPN’s Mike Wells observes that rookie Joe Haeg would likely be in line to start at left guard if Mewhort’s season is over, but Haeg is out with an ankle injury. That means Jonotthan Harrison, who is also the backup center, could end up starting at left guard. As Wells writes, “The Colts have to ride the right arm of Andrew Luck to have any chance this season. That’ll be hard to do if the offensive line can’t protect the franchise player.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
The Colts have signed free agent running back Stevan Ridley, which Kevin Bowen of Colts.com first reported via Twitter. The signing has since been confirmed by multiple sources.
[RELATED: Jack Mewhort Believed To Have Torn ACL]
Ridley was cut by the Lions just a few days ago, and he could be a quality backup for starter Frank Gore. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Gore and keep him on a pitch count. Last year, Gore wound up carrying the ball 260 times and Indianapolis wants to dial that number down so that the veteran can be fresh late in the season. Before the Ridley signing, Robert Turbin was listed as the Colts’ No. 2 back with Jordan Todman, undrafted rookie Josh Ferguson, and Trey Williams also on the depth chart.
It remains to be see how many backs the Colts will carry, but the team could certainly use a player with Ridley’s upside in the backfield. A former third-round pick, Ridley averaged 5.1 yards per carry in limited action during his rookie season in 2011, then exploded for 1,263 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012. However, fumbling issues landed him on the bench in New England, and a devastating ACL/MCL injury limited him in both 2014 and 2015.
After spending his first four years in the NFL with the Patriots, Ridley signed with the Jets last season, but didn’t see the field all that much after coming off the PUP list. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Ridley took over for Zac Stacy as the No. 3 back and earned just 36 carries, totaling only 90 yards for a career-worst 2.5 yards per attempt. His stint with Indianapolis could represent his best opportunity to reestablish himself as a quality back.
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- The Colts are meeting with Stevan Ridley today, but don’t expect them to sign him or any other running back before the end of the day, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). If Ridley proves to be healthy, he could be a quality backup for starter Frank Gore. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Gore and keep him on a pitch count. Last year, Gore wound up carrying the ball 260 times, and Indianapolis wants to dial that number down so that the veteran can be fresh late in the season.
- The Colts have reached an injury settlement with tackle Kevin Graf, removing him from their IR, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Stevan Ridley might not be unemployed for long. Ridley, who was cut by the Lions on Thursday, is on a visit with the Colts today, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Lions Release Stevan Ridley]
If Ridley proves to be healthy, he could be a quality backup for starter Frank Gore. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Gore and keep him on a pitch count. Last year, Gore wound up carrying the ball 260 times and Indianapolis wants to dial that number down so that the veteran can be fresh late in the season. As it stands, Robert Turbin is the Colts’ No. 2 back with Jordan Todman, undrafted rookie Josh Ferguson, and Trey Williams also on the depth chart.
This week, coach Chuck Pagano said that the team has a carrying cap in mind for Gore.
“We have to be very, very smart to make sure that we have him available for 16 games and he’s healthy and he’s fresh and he’s out there,” Pagano said (via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). “He’s obviously a really good player. We have a number in mind and we’ll try to do our very best to stick with that number.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.